1 John 4:13

hereby we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

In this paragraph (1 John 4:12-16), the indwelling God is mentioned three times, and the reciprocal nature of it (he in us, we in him) is stressed twice. The evidence of God's indwelling is differently stated as follows:

1 John 4:13, He hath given us his Spirit.

1 John 4:15, Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God.

1 John 4:16, He that dwelleth in love.

Because he hath given us of his Spirit ... It should be carefully noted that the Christian's possession of the Spirit of God is an "evidence of," not an "antecedent cause" of God's indwelling our hearts. Furthermore, it is a mistake to suppose that there is even any microscopic difference between God's indwelling and the Spirit's indwelling. There are no less than eight different New Testament designations of that inner presence which differentiates Christians from the world (See my Commentary on Galatians, pp. 97-99), as set forth in Paul's writings; and John in this letter added to that list the fact that God's love abides in Christians, and Christians abide in God's love. This verse (1 John 4:13) is virtually a repetition of 1 John 3:24.

With regard to the question of prior conditions to be fulfilled by the believer before the indwelling of God, the reception of the Spirit, the indwelling Christ, etc., Peter's summary of this on the Day of Pentecost stands as the eternal answer, binding both on earth and in heaven. To believers who desire the forgiveness of their sins and the indwelling Spirit, the commandment of God is: "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38f).

In the introduction to this letter, it was pointed out that John follows no classical outline. Roberts has another beautiful word regarding 1John, which, in a little wider sense, is applicable to all the New Testament books. He wrote:

John's thought pattern continues to retrace ideas and to pick them up like an orchestra does the strains of a melody in order to develop them more fully.[38]